


Changes

by darus_rovia



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Zombie Apocalypse, Bipolar Disorder, Depression, Domestic Fluff, Kinda Fluffy, M/M, Mania, Married Couple, Mental Health Issues, They are so in love, bipolar!jesus, daryl takes care of paul, desus for life, domestic life, taking care, trigger warning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-16
Updated: 2018-10-16
Packaged: 2019-08-03 05:11:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,718
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16319777
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darus_rovia/pseuds/darus_rovia
Summary: Paul Rovia was diagnosed with bipolar disorder years ago. This is how his husband Daryl handles his manic and depressive phases.





	Changes

**Author's Note:**

> so yeah this is basically based on a true story, i guess. a friend of mine is bipolar so lot of things Paul does in this fic are based on my buddy. 
> 
> SIDE NOTE; Paul is an artist and he paints for living. because why not.
> 
> kudos / comments / feedback are highly appreciated!

  
Daryl woke up from the sound of DVDs falling to the ground. He saw the digital clock saying 3.46AM. He rolled over, trying to find his husband but he was alone, with a cold spot next to him. He sighed and decided to get up.

He entered the living room, seeing Paul picking up DVDs from the floor. The younger man looked up and said, "Crap. Did I wake you?"

"Kinda" Daryl shrugged his shoulders, "wha' on earth are you doing? It's almost 4 in the morning"

"I know. I couldn't fall asleep, so I organized my book collection in alphabetical order to the fourth letter, then I did the magazines and now I'm doing your DVDs" Paul explained, looking at his job. "Or should I do it by genre? Or release date? I should do it by genre" he muttered to himself, and took every DVD down from the cabinet.

Daryl rubbed his sore eyes. "Have you slept, like at all?"

"I'm feeling super wake. I think I might go for a run soon" Paul stated, starting to put action DVDs to the cabinet.

"Paul... You've been up for almost 40 hours, just come back to bed" Daryl said.

Paul turned around, stopping for a moment. "Daryl, I'm fine. Go back to bed. I'll try to be quiet" he smiled.

Daryl hesitated for a second, before nodding. He gave Paul a quick kiss before going back to bed, falling into peaceful sleep.

 

* * *

 

  
It was 8.01 in the morning when Daryl shut the alarm clock off. He looked around seeing perfectly clean, neat bedroom. He made his way through the clean house to the messy kitchen. He saw Paul doing waffles.

"Morning hubbie" Daryl said, stretching his arms, "you cleaned the house. Again"

"Morning Daryl. Yes, after I finished the DVDs, which by the way are in alphabetical order _and_ sorted by release date, I took a 2 hour run and noticed our bathroom being kinda dirty. So I cleaned it and well, I can't just do the bathroom I have to do the whole house, you know that" Paul explained, turning around with a plate full of waffles.

"Have you eaten?" Daryl asked as Paul set the hot plate in the kitchen table.

"I'm not hungry" Paul shook his head.

"Not wha' I asked" Daryl sat down, tapping the next chair.

The couple sat down, ate waffles for 2 minutes before Paul saying "I should paint today"

"You started 4 paintings yesterday and finished none of them" Daryl stated.

"So?" Paul shrugged his shoulders.

Daryl sighed and smiled, "Well you keep painting then"

 

* * *

 

 

When Daryl came back from work, he met with a delivery guy front of his house.

"Can I help ya?" Daryl asked.

"Are you Paul Rovia?" the stranger asked.

"I'm his husband" Daryl answered.

The guy handed a paper to sign and a package. "It's already been paid for, just need a sign"

Daryl sighed and grew anxious. He signed the paper and wondered what the box was holding in and what would he meet inside? Paul tends to buy useless crap when he's not doing something else. Would he meet a a new pet? Or scratching tree even though they do not own a cat? It wasn't any news to Daryl, he knew Paul was bipolar and in his manic phase, he'd buy useless shit.

He saw bunch of boxes around. As he walked to the living room he saw his husband sitting on a couch, his head buried in his hands.

"What's wrong?" Daryl asked.

"I uhh, I went to the store and I guess I bought some stuff" Paul muttered, "stuff we _can't afford_ "

Daryl took a deep breath. " _Okay_. Did you try to take 'em back?"

"Of course! And they won't take anything back!" Paul panicked.

"Calm down" Daryl looked around, counting up to 11 different boxes. "What'd you buy?"

"It was this stupid sale that if you ordered them before noon they would be at your door by 3PM and now we own 2 computer screens, a lamp, hockey equipment and so much more useless shit and Daryl I am freaking out" Paul said with shaky hands.

Daryl sat next to his husband, taking Paul's hands in his own. "Breathe. I'm gonna growl at them by the phone"

Paul nodded and as Daryl stood up, the younger man said "Don't growl too much"

 

  
**| 30 minutes later |**

 

  
"Thank you and good bye" Daryl hung up. He took a long deep breath, before going back to his panicking husband. It's fine, Daryl. You're both fine, he told himself. He walked back to the living room, seeing Paul in a fetal position on the couch.

"Hey fetus" Daryl shoved his phone into his pocket, "they'll take the stuff back with 70% refund. I explained the situation. Threatened a little"

Paul sat up. "Oh that is wonderful" he said, his head falling into his palms.

Daryl strolled over his husband, sitting next to him. "Why'd you buy hockey stuff?" he asked.

The younger man peeked behind his fingers. "I. Don't. Know. I really don't"

Daryl chuckled.

 

* * *

 

  
The night strolled in and Daryl started getting really worried. Paul had gone in their bedroom, locked it and stayed in for over 4 hours. Now he wouldn't open the door.

"Paul, c'mon" Daryl pleaded on the other side. Then he heard crying. " _Paul_! Unlock the door, please!"

The door remained locked so Daryl walked to their garage and picked up a couple of tools and walked back. He took that whole door down.

He looked around their bedroom. Paul wasn't on the bed. Daryl sighed. He opened their walk-in closet. He saw Paul sitting there knees close to his chest, tears on his cheeks.

"Didn't ya come out of the closet like 15 years ago?" Daryl asked.

" _Not funny_ " Paul stood up and wiped the tears away. He crawled into the bed.

"What's the matter?" Daryl softly asked as he closed the closet door.

The man sat down on the side of their bed, watching how his husband wrapped himself up in the blankets. Daryl instantly knew what was happening, they had been through this multiple times. It was the start of Paul's depressive phase.

Daryl sighed. "Wanna talk?"

"No"

"Want something?"

"No"

Daryl nodded and stood up. "Okay" He left the bedroom to make a phone call to his boss that he wasn't gonna show up at work for two days, at least. Then he walked back.

"Go away" Paul muttered quietly.

"Just grabbin' a pillow" Daryl said, opening their closet and grabbing a extra pillow and blanket.

"Try to get some sleep, hubbie. Love ya" Daryl said before closing the door. And even though Paul answered nothing, Daryl knew he had heard.

  
The next morning Daryl cooked scrambled eggs for breakfast. It was almost 10 o'clock and Paul had been asleep for about 14 hours. On the positive side, the sleep was much needed since Paul barely slept during his manic phase, staying up for 40 hours, sleeping for couple of hours and it would last for 2 weeks, even 3 weeks. His depressive phases weren't usually that long, a week or two, but the first couple of days were always concerning Daryl. That's when Paul was swimming in _such_ deep oceans of depression and suicidal thoughts. Luckily, it was only the first few days. After that, it would just be regular old depression, you could say.

  
Daryl knocked on the bedroom door and walked in with a tray. "Morning Paul"

"Fuck off" Paul grunted.

"I made you some eggs. Or do you wanna keep sleeping?" Daryl asked.

"Hell are you even doing here?" was heard under the covers.

"I got few vacation days saved up" Daryl shrugged his shoulders and placed the tray on the night stand.

"Why would you waste your free days with me?" Paul mumbled.

"Why not?" Daryl said. "I'll run to the store real quick, you gonna be fine?"

"Yes, I'm not 5" Paul sounded irritated.

 

When Daryl came back with a bag full of some food, and junk food for Paul, he noticed the bedroom door was wide open. He always closed that door when Paul was depressive. That meant he was up.

"Paul?" Daryl called.

He heard small whimpers and cries in the bathroom. Worst case scenario was the only thought Daryl had. He hurried and saw Paul crying, his face red. He was standing in front of the sink and a broken mirror. His hands were covered in blood. He was still holding pieces of the mirror.

Paul turned to Daryl. "I am so angry and I don't even know _why_ " he cried.

Daryl had a closer look. Paul's knuckles were bruised and had cuts, so did his palms. He gave Paul a tight hug, which the bipolar man accepted greatly.

Almost an hour later, after Daryl had gotten all of the small pieces of the mirror off of Paul's hands and bandaged them up, they were both in their bed, under the covers. Daryl was holding his husband tightly, who had his forehead pressed against Daryl's chest.

"Maybe I shouldn't have left you alone" Daryl whispered.

"It's not on you" Paul said, "I'm sorry"

"It's not on you either"

Paul sighed, "I'm so sorry you have to go through this with me. I know you hate it and it makes me wanna think of divorcing"

Those words actually hurt Daryl. Usually the stuff Paul said in his depressive phase was non-sense, it was only the depression talking and Daryl knew he didn't mean them, but this was genuine. "Are you kiddin' me?"

Paul let down couple of tears.

"I fucking love you. No matter what. So what you are bipolar? You have dragged me into so much of fun stuff and made me try new things with you when you are manic. And it's always a surprise. I would never have tried to parkour if it wasn't for your mania. And your depressive phase... It makes me sad you feel like shit but... You get to sleep and I get to know _you_.... And what ever is going on inside that crazy head" Daryl said.

"God" Paul smiled, more tears falling, "like I wasn't crying enough already"

Daryl snorted.

"I love you too"


End file.
